Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman’s work on this character (who began as Marvelman… and may be Marvelman again… it’s a long story) have cemented the Miracleman<\/strong><\/em> comics as some of the finest examples of story-telling in the superhero genre. More than any other, these comics have influenced the way I approach superhero story-telling, which means that if you happen to be playing in a role-playing game that I’m running, maybe reading through Miracleman (which was recently collected by Marvel) to see where things could go.<\/p>\n 9. \u00a0Kid Quantum II<\/strong><\/p>\n This spot fluctuated a bit as I went through who I really thought deserved it, but when really I thought about my favorite comic book stories from the past, the ‘re-boot’ Legion of Super-Heroes<\/strong><\/em> was the first thing that came to mind and the second Kid Quantum exemplifies what I loved about those books (including LSH and Legionnaires<\/strong><\/em>). Kid’s arc is just excellent, character-driven story-telling at its finest. She begins as a replacement for the first Legionnaire killed in duty, also her brother, as a member of a different team. She is forced to join\u00a0the Legion and grows to hold her own, eventually developing into a leader of the team. I love the Legion, and Kid Quantum is everything I love about the Legion.<\/p>\n 8. Captain Marvel<\/strong><\/p>\n I guess a big part of this list is about character arcs and, the further I look through it, the more I realize that is something that just attracts me to specific comic books. For Carol Danvers, the arc of her story is fantastic! Beginning as the ‘girl Friday’ of the original Captain Marvel (the Marvel Comics one), she eventually gained powers and became Ms. Marvel; not quite a sidekick, but definitely not the equal of Cap. Despite having a decent run during the 1970s, Carol spent the 1980s and 1990s either\u00a0de-powered, transformed, in space, or becoming an alcoholic (something that has become an important component of her character, in the modern age). Finally, Carol was allowed to return to glory as the original Ms. Marvel, but soon after, she took the title of her long-deceased mentor, calling herself Captain Marvel and becoming one of the leading Avengers).<\/p>\n 7. Squirrel Girl<\/strong><\/p>\n A more recent entry onto this list, I’ve always enjoyed the character of Doreen Green, a.k.a. Squirrel Girl, for the sheer weirdness, but her recent foray into a solo comic has catapulted the character to whole new heights. At some point, as the character began to appear more, it became a running joke that she could defeat the most dangerous menaces of the Marvel Universe (Doctor Doom, Thanos, etc.) on her own. With her newest series, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl<\/strong>\u00a0(actually, her two<\/em> latest series), it’s made clear that her skill as a superhero is no joke. She’s a fun, witty, competent hero whose stories embrace the strange, something I always love to see.<\/p>\n 6. Invincible<\/strong><\/p>\n Created by the same writer who would go on to write The Walking Dead<\/strong>, Invincible<\/strong> is a series about a comic book universe through the eyes of the newest generation of heroes; specifically the son of that world’s equivalent of Superman. Mark Grayson, upon learning of his superpowers, is thrust into a fully-functioning superhero universe, but what is amazing about the series is that it spotlights how the superhero genre can be dysfunctional, doing so without diluting the importance of the heroes and villains, themselves. An amazing series from page one, I can’t recommend getting the collected editions enough!<\/p>\n 5. Martian Manhunter<\/strong><\/p>\n At some point, I really came to enjoy the character of J’onn J’onzz, also known as the Martian Manhunter. There was a series in the 1990s by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake that was just amazing; exploring the depths of one of the least understood characters in the DC Universe. The result was that the character should be least understood because he is more alien than alien. Not only is he the last survivor of his race, but his race died off before humankind existed! Manhunter’s search for understanding the human condition seems to come, at the same time, from both superiority and inferiority, and this makes the character interesting and distinct.<\/p>\n 4. Thanos<\/strong><\/p>\n Thanos was number 2 on this list for a long time, but recent storylines have dropped the character to a less lofty position. Nowadays, everyone knows who Thanos is, but there was a time that writers could get away with some crazy shit with the mutant Eternal from Titan. Take a look at the Thanos<\/strong><\/em> series by Jim Starlin and, later, Keith Giffen, and you’ll get an idea of why I love this character. Sadly, he has been relegated back to the role of nihilistic super-monster, which is where I find him kind of boring, to be honest.<\/p>\n 3. Zatanna<\/strong><\/p>\n Is it the fishnets? I guess it could be the fishnets. Regardless of my preferences for costuming choices, Zatanna is a complex character in her own right. Stepping from the shadow of her very famous (at least in the DCU) father, who sacrificed his life to save the world, Zatanna is immensely powerful and remarkably capable, but can still be intimidated by more experienced heroes into making mistakes. Her story includes one of learning to stand up for herself against those who think less of her. There will come a point where someone will make a Zatanna movie or television series and then everyone<\/em> will love this character as much as me.<\/p>\n![\"tumblr_my531k7WSW1qfxwtoo1_500\"](\"http:\/\/docpalindrome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/tumblr_my531k7WSW1qfxwtoo1_500.jpg\")
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